Polygala myrtifolia var. grandiflora is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to South Africa, bearing clusters of beautiful purple flowers that resemble those of sweet peas. This variety has larger, more richly coloured flowers and more tapered, pointed leaves in comparison to the species. In habit, it’s a rounded, bushy shrub that can eventually become a small tree.
Polygala myrtifolia occurs naturally from the Bokkeveld Mountains, near Clanwilliam in South Africa’s Western Cape, to Kwazulu-Natal. In its natural habitat it is a fast-growing pioneer of forest margins, sand dunes, rocky coasts and open grasslands, adapting its stature and shape to suit the environment it finds itself in. Polygala myrtifolia forms part of the fynbos ecosystem, which has some climatic similarity to the Mediterranean, which means mild, wet winters followed by hot, dry summers. Growing to a maximum height of between two and four metres, depending on situation, Polygala myrtifolia can quickly make a large shrub or small tree.
The arching stems of Polygala myrtifolia are lined with small, waxy, grey-green leaves which resemble those of myrtle, hence ‘myrtifolia‘. (Polygala is an old Greek name derived from the words polys, meaning much, and gala, meaning milk. This is because some members of the milkwort genus have a reputation for promoting the secretion of milk in cows.) Each branch is terminated by a cluster of bright, purplish-pink flowers which resemble those of a legume at first, but are actually rather different. Instead of the pronounced ‘banner’ petal at the back of the flower (think sweet-peas), they have an extravagantly fringed, brush-like keel at the front. The petals can be pink, magenta, purple or white.
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